Workers finishing up projects before New York State Fair opens

The newly expanded drop-off and pick-up point is one of several new items workers are finishing in preparation of the New York State Fair.

Ellen AbbottWRVO

There’s a lot of last minute work happening at the state fairgrounds in Geddes, but fair officials expect to have it finished in time for opening day of the New York State Fair in just over a week.

Workers are on the job at the Centro lot at the New York State Fairgrounds. The expansion of the drop-off and pick-up location for Centro buses is the big item workers are finishing up, says Acting Fair Director Troy Waffner.

"We’ve expanded that to give people more room to be able to wait for their buses and get off, and more room for buses to back up safely," Waffner said. "As part of that, we also moved the fairgoer pick-up and drop-off. So if you’re dropping your child off, or brother or sister, we’ve moved that to gate three. So there is actually a pull off where you can pull off on each side of the road, drop your family, friends off, they go to the fair and you can pick them up later.”

Waffner says this improves the aesthetics on the corner that anchors the major entrance to the fair. But it also makes things much clearer for fairgoers who are leaving the fair on a bus. He says in the past, the Centro lot often looked like a mosh pit after a big concert, when fairgoers were streaming out of the fairgrounds at the same time.

“And so we’ve actually more than doubled the waiting space for fairgoers, and everything will be clearly delineated and signed," Waffner explained. "And so people will really be able to, whether it’s Shoppingtown or any of the malls in the area, know what bus to get on and get out of here.”

Another big project workers are wrapping up is a new stairway going into the science and industry building, meant to bring back its historic look and make it handicapped accessible.

Waffner says along with that, there has been some repaving and set up of certain exhibits. He says he expects it all to be done on time.